look, the reason i'm in this race is there are people that are really hurting today in this country. and we face this deficit -- could crush the future generations. and republicans and democrats both love america but we need to have leadership -- leadership in washington that will actually bring people together and get the job done and could not care less if it's a republican or a democrat. i've done it before, i'll do it again. i'm mitt romney, and i approve this message. the election just 15 days away, and right now the race for the white house remains in a dead heat. tonight the final face-off in

florida between the president and his republican rival mitt romney. so what do both candidates have to do? it could be a game changer? our live coverage starts now. >> thank you for joining us for our first news edge you decide 201 all the way to election day. we're devoting this half-hour to better informing you before you go to the polls november 6th. the final presidential debate starts in about two-and-a-half hours. taking top billing on the trail today, here's tom fitzgerald with more. >> it is no mystery where both these candidates are. tonight, debate night, they are both in florida now for their third and final contest. and this comes on the heels of an important new poll average out tonight. you are looking right now at the real clear politics national average of polls that was released just today. this new national average finds mitt romney now ahead tonight

47.3% to president obama's 47.1%, but keep in mind this is well within that margin of error meaning tonight this race is still locked in a dead heat. we begin in florida. mitt romney agrees to flip a coin for a friendly touch football game between his staff and the traveling press corps. romney's advisors say they expect a strong performance. >> we have to have a strong national security structure, and i think you will see governor romney contrasting that with the economic failures of the last four years. >> in maryland, the president wrapped up his own debate preparation and headed to florida. his advisers say they are confident the president will reach out to women. >> the president has been a strong and steady leader. we have response plea ended the war in iraq. we are going to end the war in

afghanistan. alkyd dough is a shadow of its former shelf. >> out to colorado now. vice presidential candidate paul ryan spoke to supporters talking about the stakes at risk in this election with a final stop in pueblo this afternoon. >> look, president obama, he cannot run on his record. 15% of our fellow citizens are living in poverty. that's 46 million americans in poverty. that's the highest in a generation. >> and we wrap up on the trail today, where else, ohio. vice president joe biden headed into canton today and said mitt romney's recent focus on the middle class does not line up with his record. >> the best i can say about our opponent is they have, as we roman catholics say, they've sort of a epiphany, they've add conversion. somehow right after their

convention, they discovered the middle class. >> four candidates, all positioned in three states. october 22nd, 2012, today, on the trail. >> the first two debates focused on domestic issues and the economy. tonight it's foreign policy what. are we looking for from each trying to hit each other in their weak points? >> both campaigns are coming into tonight armed with some things they want to talk about. for the romney campaign, they are going to be lacking at three major things. they are going to be looking at libya, talking about iran, from the romney standpoint this administration has enough to stop the iranian government from having a nuclear weapon. they're also going to be making inroads on israel tonight. one of the big things that the republicans have been talking about is that this administration, this president, has, in their words, a bad relationship with ties really prime minister. they're really trying to drive those things home tonight. bad hamming of libya, iran is

being allowed to build a nuclear bomb, and this administration son bad terms with israel. flip that over to the other side for what the obama administration is trying to do. they're going to hit them on benghazi saying those comments mitt romney made after the attack were inappropriate, showed a lack of experience. they're also going to be talk about that london trip over the surges remarks he made about port security and wrap one china. they say the bane capital background that mitt romney has shows a willingness to let jobs go over to china. one of the things, mark, we want to lack at, if you see mitt romney basically getting votes, that kind of lends the suggestion that barack obama is losing votes from somewhere. so where is that erosion taking place, in your view, right now the most for democrats in the obama campaign? >> there seems to be no doubt. it's in one constituency.

democrats have historically not been strong with white males but in terms of people who are white who vote, he got 43% of the white vote four years ago. now he's down to 36%. that's an appreciable difference. they don't want to the go any lower. >> let's talk about another group that was -- you look back in the 2000 race. i went to an event in philadelphia in 2000. john mccain and then candidate george w. bush had thousands of people in front of the philadelphia art museum, latino voters turning out in droves to vote for this republican ticket. fast-forward to today. where are the republicans in locking down that latino vote, and what do you see there? >> tom, they're crucial in three battleground states. nevada, colorado, and florida. there's a large puerto rican population have moved to florida, the i-94 area. right now the president is leading, i thought it was mas

print. an astounding 45 points. mitt romney is at 25%, the president is at 70% amongst latinos. john mccain did about 35 or 34. but this is the margin of difference, and many people feel that this emerging population group is key to president obama keeping the presidency. >> thanks a lot, mark. brian, when you look at where these vote totals are, places like florida, places in nevada, that's where the latino vote is going to come in. >> senator john mccain, the nominee in 2008, joins us live from boca raton, florida. sen to great to see you as always. you have the unique perspective of having debated both president obama and mitt romney. do you think it's easier this time around for mitt romney since president obama has a record he has to defend this time? >> i do. i do very much so, and in the

first debate, i think mitt romney was able to shatter that illusion that they had built up through all the negative ads, of him being a rich guy, didn't care, all that. i think that was shattered in the first debate so it was more than just technical debating points. the president had a record to run on. and that, i think, was significant. but i wouldn't underestimate president obama. he's an excellent debater,'s showed the second tame around, although i think some might say he was a little bit too aggressive, but we'll leave that to history. but he's an excellent debater and i wouldn't underestimate him at all. >> what would you do differently from mitt romney going into tonight's debate? >> i'm not sure i would do much different. i think that mitt is going to tie the economy to foreign policy. i think i might be myself, be a little more aggressive on syria, as far as getting

weapons to them is concerned, but overall, i agree with mitt about peace through strength, about having a strong america, about this libya debacle which defies imagination that the president would either intentionally deceive the american people or be so grossly incompetent that i haven't seen anything like it. so i think there's a lot that we're going see tonight, but mitt romney's challenge is to show people that he can be commander in chief. >> we only after few seconds left here, but i'm curious, we never really get the cloak revealed from behind the scenes. is the romney campaign reached out to you, or have you reached out to the romney campaign in these last stretch here for advice? >> yes, but, you know, i found when i was running, that all i got was advice. it's the cheapest commodity around, and everybody had the answer. so i know that mitt listens to me, but he really -- my main

advice to him, trust his own instincts. i think at the's a very smart guy with all the right instincts. >> senator john mccain, thank you so much for your time. i really appreciate it. coming up, our experts are breaking down expectations for tonight's debate, and those poll numbers. a live debate just two minutes away. you're watching the news edge you decide 2012. we'll be right back. president obama: i'm barack obama and i approve...

this message. anncncr: victims. dependent. that's what mitt romney called forty-seven percent... of americans. including people on medicare. but what about his plan for you? romney would replace guaranteed benefits with a voucher system. seniors could pay six thousand dollars more a year. a plan aarp says would undermine medicare. you're no victim...you earned your benefits. don't let mitt romney take them away.

but to me, it's money that i earned. man: to some people, social security is just a number. i count on social security. and i don't want washington politicians like george allen... privatizing it. if george allen wants to risk his own money on wall street... that's fine. but i don't want him risking mine. george allen just isn't watching out for us. anncr: the democratic senatorial campaign committee is... responsible for the content of this advertising.

two weeks until election day, and both sides are still fighting for every single vote. is it really about the independents, the undecideds? republican strategist jack burke man and democratic strategist brendan daily joins us. jack, i'll start with you. how do you expect him to do talking about foreign policy? >> i think he will be aggressive. i think that's what he needs to do. the real danger tonight is for obama because this is a slippery slope for obama. obama not only has to quote unquote win the debate, but, brian, he has to make sure we're not talking about foreign policy tomorrow morning, because if we are, if the public is thinking about national security, it is going to vote republican. so tonight is very much a double edged sword for obama. it's not his home court. >> brendan, your guy has to still win over the women and

latino voters, but talking foreign policy, that might not necessarily be in their wheelhouse of interest. a lot of people would probably in those groups rather hear more about the economy. do you see president obama trying to spin this thing around and score some points domestically? >> he might, brian, but normally foreign policy is not necessarily a strength of the democrats but this year, no question it is. if they are talking about it tomorrow, that's fine with president obama. look, he's got a good record to run object. he said he would win the war in iraq, did he. he said he would kill osama bin laden, he did. of course there's going to be the concern about libya. a lot of back and forth about that. but overall i think he's got a very strong record. >> it's funny, speaking is about the mideast, the mideast is about as screwed up it is a could possibly be. if you take mubarak, the center piece of our policy, that was locked down for 30 years. obama unlocked it. now we have egypt ready to go the war. i really think the democrats would have more credibility if

they admit their mistakes and move on. libya, i tell you what's going to come up. obama, he said when describing the death of christopher stevens, the u.s. ambassador, he said, well, the circumstances there were less than optimal. you better believe that's going to come up. >> he was repeating a question from an interview that he had. the last debate romney tried to bring this up andy screwed up the fax and he had to be corrected by candy crowley right there in the debate. the administration's story hag changed as the facts have changed so that's why the story has been different, no question. >> jack, i'm curious, and i think a lot of people will be, this whole campaign seems to be focused now on what would obama do four years from now as opposed to what he's done in the past. i think the same goes for mitt romney. what would mitt romney do in the next four years on the foreign policy front that would sort of right some of these wrongs that you see. >> i think first of all, you wouldn't drop the ball. the bottom line is romney

wouldn't drop the ball. obama has dropped the ball in so many places. look at iran. the one place the u.s. should have gotten -- wade chance to have a genuine nationalist revolution in iran. we could have thrown the ayatollahs out. obama dropped the ball. the ball was on the tee. all he had to do was hit it. he didn't do it. he throws out gadhafi, mubarak two, of our best allies. romney wouldn't make these mistakes. these are mistakes that anybody in high school would know. >> speaking of that people in high school wouldn't go to london and offend our closest ally. someone had a great line about romney. he's full of blunders and blusters. the president will be fine tonight, no question. >> brendan, maybe answer the question as well what would president obama do, how come he hasn't articulated what he wants for the next four years on the foreign policy front? >> i think he has.

he said he wants to get out of afghanistan by 20 14, we are going to continue to push against al-qaida. he's even talked about trying to really see the we can close guantanamo bay. he has not been able to do it in the first term. i think in the second term he would want to do that. >> thank you both. we'll all be watching closely. our political climate throughout the country could be changing. some potential surprises including one involving a controversial candidates. the hills managing editor joins us next. and early voting underway in the district already. this week voters can cast ballots at one judiciary square. on saturday early vote willing expand to one location in each ward. you can find those satellite voting locations on our website, myfoxdc.com. we're back. [ male announcer ] this commercial is not about getting fios.

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this stadium gets it. this guy does not get it. and he is so bummed... but don't take our word for it... ask a friend, ask a neighbor, or anyone else who's got it. i got it when you could dvr a television show from a cab, which i think is nuts! [ male announcer ] and see why millions have already switched to fios. there's never been a better time to get it. get our best price online guaranteed for a year, call the verizon center with no annual contract. for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v. once you've got it, you get it. call the verizon center with no annual contract. president obama:a: i'm barack obamthis message.ve... anncr: vicictims.

dependent. that's what mitt romney called forty-seven percent... of americans. including people on medicare. but what about his plan for you? romney would replace guaranteed benefits with a voucher system. seniors could pay six thousand dollars more a year. a plan aarp says would undermine medicare. you're no victim...you earned your benefits. don't let mitt romney take them away. this time of year the hill newspaper gets even more attention than usual. joining us n is the managing editor. bob, thanks for being here. i want to start with the house of representatives, republican controlled, as we know. i hear the magic number is 25 for democrats what. are you seeing? do you think they will pick up those 25 seats? >> brian, i think they are going to pick up seats, but they should fall short of that number.

25 is a lot of seats, and a sitting president hasn't picked up that many house seats in decades. even ronald reagan in the 1984 landslide didn't pick up 25 house republican seats. they're probably going to pick up somewhere between 8 and 12 seats but they are going to fall short in all likelihood of the 25. maybe for 2014 they can talk more about taking back the house but right now looks like a long shot. >> so let's turn our attention to the senate. where do you see the gop in blue states having success? >> the gop, you have to look at massachusetts. scott brown, the incumbent, rung in a blue state is in a tough race with elizabeth warren. i think that's going to go down to the wire. we may not even know who won that race on election night because it is that close. scott brown has run a fairly good campaign but he is going to have to convince one of every six voters who votes for obama to vote for him in order to win. also, linda mcman, the former wrestling guru, is in a tough

race in connecticut. the polls are fairly time. connecticut is a blue statement most people think that murphy will get the w, but mcmahon has millions of dollars to spend. >> what about the so-called legitimate rape candidate, todd aiken in missouri? what does it say about either aiken's campaign or the state of missouri or mccaskill's campaign that it's still tight? >> it's single digits, it's not double digits. he's made controversial remarks continuing this week. it's a red statement there are a lot of republicans what feel like they could actually stun mccaskill and win that see. mitt romney and republicans in washington have totally distanced themselves from aiken but own, including senator jim did he meant, have embraced aiken because they make the case. listen, if we're going to get rid of the healthcare law we need aiken to win.

if any other candidate had won, mccaskill would probably be behind by double digits. >> and the george allen-tim kaine race in virginia, it seems, by every poll that we've had, as long as we've been reporting the polls, has had tim kaine in the lead. is this a shoe-in? >> i don't think it's a shoe- in, but it's leaning his way. he's run a fairly good campaign and george allen, the washington post reported a little bit cautious after the gaffe. the debates, i don't think they changed much. so i think that kaine has the edge, but you never know, a late run could come but right now if i was going to pick that race i would pick kaine. >> last 10 seconds. tonight's debate, does it swing any house races either way, or are the voters pretty much aligned in all these races throughout the country behind the main candidate on the ticket? >> well, i think the only way that democrats have any shot of winning the house is if obama wins and probably wins by three to four points. so if obama doesn't do well

tonight, that's a serious blow to house and senate democrats. conversely, mitt romney, if he does well, that could help some other republicans in tight races. but overall, a lot of these red/blue stays, the candidates are running their own raise, and like -- whether it's scott brown in mass include set, or whether it's the democrat in montana, they could win, even though the guy at the top of the ticket loses. >> all politics are local ultimately. >> right. >> thanks for coming in tonight. the lighter side of the campaign, the video that's trending tonight. we'll be right back.  president obama: i'm barack obama and i approve... this message. anncr: vicictims. dependent. that's what mitt romney called forty-seven percent... of americans. including people on medicare.

but what about his plan for you? romney would replace guaranteed benefits with a voucher system. seniors could pay six thousand dollars more a year. a plan aarp says would undermine medicare. you're no victim...you earned your benefits. don't let mitt romney take them away. president obama: i'm barack obamthis message.rove... anncr: victims. dependent. that's what mitt romney called forty-seven percent... of americans. including people on medicare.

but what about his plan for you? romney would replace guaranteed benefits with a voucher system. seniors could pay six thousand dollars more a year. a plan aarp says would undermine medicare. you're no victim...you earned your benefits. don't let mitt romney take them away. lavar arringhate it.ate losing. but right now we're losing jobs and money for... our schools to casinos in other states like west virginia. question seven creates 12,000 jobs with a new resort casino... and expanded table games here, in maryland. we all win with question seven. new jobs. money for schools, and instead of marylanders... spending 550 million dollars in other states... it gets invested here. vote for question seven. for maryland. i'm on my way.

i'm already looking forward to the snl version of tonight's debate, and the debate hasn't even happened yet. >> there was a time when people had to wait for jay leno or david letterman to figure out what the comedic take was. what we are going to do tonight, if your friends are sharing this on twitter or facebook this is the first one, it's called bad lip reading.com. it's on youtube. they basically took the first debate and thought about what they thought the candidates might be saying. >> in horrible weather, i sneeze is and i just lose the puppets. i'm thinking governor romney won't do that. this has gotten me thinking, i see a purple idiot, speaks german with a big spunky irish labradoodle puppy. >> he got me and i want you to

feel bad because i've got funny radiation coming up. >> come on, aim in the a robot. then kay go higher and you could rotate my arm and send me whooshin' into space. >> because the sofa bears don't know. >> a little strange, but that's it. >> now you have the news edge you decide 2012. the news is always on myfoxdc.com. see you tonight after the game. anncr: seven-hundred-thousand jobs. that's what the plan george allen supports... would cost our economy. newspapers called it "economically destructive." like allen's votes to give tax breaks to companies... that ship jobs overseas, his economic plan would... help big corporations, devastating the middle class. virginia can't afford to go back to george allen.

the democratic senatorial campaign committee... is responsible for the content of this advertising.